Ashiel's Guide to Adventure

Preparation, Tricks, and

Strategies
Version 0.0.01

Table of Contents
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 1

Foreword: I love the nature of adventuring. Adventuring degrees of success. Shall you brave the dangers and come
has traditionally been a very dangerous if lucrative out on top, or be another tavern tale of the ones who
profession. Adventurers die, and die, and die some more. never came back?
Some are lucky enough to only have to die once. What
separates the adventurers that make it from the ones who General-purpose Adventuring Equipment
were just another party that never returned? Well, I think Let There Be Light: There are a lot of monsters and
creativity and preparation make the largest difference. I enemies who like to spam darkness spells (and deeper
didn't think much about this sort of thing, until Peter darkness). Creatures like tieflings, drow, shadow demons,
Stewart said the following in another thread. darklings, and dark folk are notorious for this. Many
people complain that this is unfair; especially since most
Peter Stewart wrote: of these creatures either care nothing about the lighting
Honestly some of your tactics here have given me a great condition's drawbacks, or can see through them fine (such
deal to think of for future characters. I'd be interested in a as in the case of darklings and dark folk). So what is an
general thread on purchases you think are viable or adventurer to do?
needed at various levels, along with various tricks. A
heightened continual flame hadn't even occurred to me, Light spells (that is, the light subtype) such as light,
for instance. continual flame, and daylight pierce magical darkness
My party could use some more asymmetrical means of spells that are a lower level than themselves. A good
combating such problems, as right now our tendency is to adventuring tool is to have an item or two that has had a
bully through them using brute force (usually taking tons heightened continual flame spell cast on it to at least 4th
of damage and expending tons of resources in the level. That costs 330 gp including the material component,
process). We're coming up on a long period though were to have it purchased by NPC spellcasting. Suddenly, the
we'll be able to resupply and reequip. :) legions of darklings and dark folk are nothing to you, as
your continual torch (be it a torch, amulet, or even your
So since Peter asked, here's the beginning of a short belt buckle) shimmers and provides light that is
advice column concerning D&D/Pathfinder and preparing unquenchable by spells such as darkness or deeper
for adventure. I'm cool with people asking questions or darkness unless they are also heightened. Since spell-like
advice or tips on specific things; and I'll also answer abilities are the level of the spell they are mimicing, that
questions concerning D&D 3.x as well (though I may have means a 4th level continual flame is never overpowered
to reference the 3.0 SRD for particularly old school stuff, by a creature's spell-like abilities.
to make sure I'm not blurring too much). Questions can be
asked at the Paizo thread: Ashiel's Guide to Adventure I'm most fond of having continual flame cast on the inside
Preparation; and may be added to the guide. of a locket, so you can conceal or reveal the light easily
enough, and carry it without having hands free.
Disclaimer: As a simple disclaimer, I want to let everyone
know that the advice below will assume that the standard The Science of Alchemy: Alchemical goodies can often be
rules are in play. It doesn't assume house rules or changes overlooked, but they can be pretty useful, especially at
to the system. Just the goods, plain and simple. When low levels; but some are useful even at higher levels. Turn
there is something that is noted as working within the some vicious villains into trivial trials with a clever splash
rules, but does not give guidelines for doing so; this guide of chemical supremacy!
makes an attempt to figure out how you do it using the
normal rules already in existence (such as touch attacks, Alchemical Weapons: Alchemical weapons such as
splash weapons, etc). alchemist fire or acid flasks are beautiful when used by
the whole party. They ignore damage reduction and
If your GM has any quirks concerning item availability, target touch AC. They're ranged weapons, so they
changes any spells, or otherwise alters something, your benefit from feats like Point Blank Shot, and Rapid
mileage may vary. Shot. They can be dual-wielded as well. By having your
party focus-fire on a single tough creature, you can
Introduction: Adventuring is a hard life. Few take up its bring them down to size in short order. For example,
call. Those who make it, go down as legends, and retire let's say you're facing down an enemy NPC in banded
wealthy and with many amazing stories. Those who do mail and carrying a tower shield. His AC is easily 22-23
not, inevitably forge their own stories as the ones who at 1st level. Excellent time for a BBQ wrapped in tinfoil!
just survived, or never came back, or was the one that Have everyone toss an alchemist fire. A 4-person party
didn't make it. Yes, adventuring is a hard life. A life that can easily land 4d6 damage on round 1, and another
takes you by surprise. The key to surviving isn't just about 4d6 on round 2 (from the burning). Sucks to be that
whose muscles are largest or who knows the most spells. guy!
Preparation, and clever thinking, can lead you to greater
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 2
A Sticky Mess: Tanglefoot bags are amazingly good.
Chuck a few of these at people or creatures you just
don't like. It's an auto-entangle, which is already a
petty nice debuff, but also threatens to glue them to
the ground, prevent them from flying, and forces tough
concentration checks to cast spells. Worst case
scenario, the target is still slowed by 1/2 its speed.
Ninjas Vanish: Probably the most overlooked
alchemical item is the humble smoke stick. Cheap, and
surprisingly effective. Unless wind conditions are much
against you, dropping one of these lets you use Stealth
as if you were a Ninja Turtle collecting bells, gain total
concealment vs ranged attacks, and ruins sneak
attacks. Yes, ruins sneak attacks. You can't sneak attack
a target with concealment. You can drop a single
smoke stick at your feet and even if you're surrounded
by 20th level rogues, blind, and in the dark, you're
immune to their sneak damage. Excellent against dirty
roguish sorts, and even prevents an assassin's Death
Attack. Brutally efficient.
Aqua Sanctum: Holy water. The anti-shadow. At 25 gp a
pop, this stuff is kind of like acid of alchemist fire for
undead and evil outsiders. Incidentally, it specifically
affects incorporeal creatures as well. It deals 2d4
damage as a ranged touch attack that doesn't provoke
attacks (see item description) if you shake the water at
the enemy. 2d4 averages 5 damage, which means a 1st
level party can tear a shadow apart by just running up
and splashing it with holy water. Statistically, 4 holy
waters will outright kill a shadow (and less should
force the shadow to flee for its unlife), and frankly, 100
gp for a dead CR 3 enemy seems entirely reasonable to
me! The fact it also deals splash damage, and is party
friendly is double the fun. Alchemists even get to add
their Intelligence modifier to the damage, allowing
them to take apart some truly nasty critters in short
order.
Side Effects Include...: Antitoxins and Anti-plague are
surprisingly useful. While antitoxin has a hard time
competing against the 50 gp potions of delay poison, it
does have the advantage of being an alchemical and
thus mundane item; thus it doesn't require a feat to
create, and is freely available virtually everywhere
100% of the time. It can be crafted by alchemists (either
professional or the actual PC-class) for a mere 16 gp
and provides a +5 bonus that stacks with everything
else in the game. Unlike potions of delay poison, it
cannot be dispelled or shut off in any way (dispelling
the potions are only DC 12), which make them useful
even at levels where enemies are tossing dispel spells
like rice at a wedding. Antiplague is even better, since
disease can be so easily contracted, and few things give
immunity to disease (it also lets those already afflicted
roll twice and take the better result on their saving
Powder Bombs
Powder bombs are splash weapons that deliver a cloud of fine
dust, flour, chalk, or similar substance. They are harmless, but
can reveal the presence of invisible creatures or objects. A bag,
pouch, or similar vessel can be thrown as a splash weapon.
Creatures and objects hit by the bomb are completely covered by
the dust, and are no longer considered invisible. Invisible
creatures and objects caught in the splash radius are no longer
considered invisible, but instead have concealment (20% miss
chance) because they are not completely covered in dust. The
effects of the dust last until washed off (such as by water or
prestidigitation). Clinging dust does not prevent new instances
of invisibility from functioning (such as having the invisibility
spell cast on you again), and thus must be re-dusted over again.
Mundane versus Magical
The game assumes that natural laws are in place without there
being explicit explanation for them. Forces such as gravity are
merely assumed, even without explicit explanation. In essence,
things that should work in real life should theoretically work in
the fantasy game. That's not to say that these forces should be
represented with exact scientific calculation, and many things
are glossed over during the game for playability (there are no
rules that express how frequently a character needs to use the
bathroom, or that they do at all, for that matter). Of course, it
should be understood that water makes you wet, dirt gets you
dirty, and so forth. If something is relevant in game then you can
find an in game measurement to base it on (a runaway cart may
be ruled as a trample or slam attack; for example).
So what happens when magic is introduced? Is magic outright
superior to the mundane, or is it just different? In general, the
normal laws do not stop functioning when magic is involved.
Some people have trouble with the idea that a 2nd level spell like
invisibility could be overcome by a bag of flour scattered around
an area; arguing that the investment of a 2nd level spell slot is
worth more than a pound of flour. To this, I say “So?”. There are
many things that have an Achilles' Heel, and are overcome by
something that requires less effort or investment. For example,
the spell 6th level spell ethereal jaunt makes you immune to
almost every form of attack, but is overcome by the 1st level
spell magic missile. Someone can build a grand house, but a
lowly match can burn it down. That's just how it goes.
It's this natural law that explains how the mundane can exist in a
world with the fantastic. People often wonder how is it that a
mundane species such as humans could thrive in a world where
fantastic creatures like dragons, demons, and wizards exist. The
simplest answer is because there are other alternatives that they
can find in nature. Arrows barbed with venom, alchemical
concoctions, or simple ingenuity and problem solving may lead
to success. In areas where dragons are common, flame-resistant
building materials like stone and mud may be popular. Where
wyverns hunt humans, there may be packs of wyvern hunters
who coat their arrows in powerful tranquilizer poisons that can
bring them down. Where wizards skulk about under the cover of
invisibility, there is a fighter with a bag of flour waiting.
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 3

throws vs disease each day). The Magic of the Mind: There's a lot of very mundane
methods for dealing with magical effects that just require
Aw, Nets: Nets are arguably one of the strongest weapons a bit of thinking and preparation. One of my favorites is
in the core handbook. They deal no damage, but are a the bag of chalk or flour. Chalk can be purchased for 1
non-magical ranged touch attack (meaning even the -4 copper a piece and counts as a weightless item, and has
non-proficiency penalty isn't so bad usually) which inflicts many adventuring uses (such as marking trails and paths,
the Entangled condition on the target, and all that implies. leaving notes, drawing magic seals, etc). You can buy a
To escape it, you must spend a full-round action to even whole bag (1 lb.) of flour for only 2 copper pieces; which
attempt to be free (either via a hard Strength check or a can be baked with some water and a fire, or fried to make
DC 20 escape artist), which means that either an enemy a crispy food on the go. However, both are good for foiling
has to deal with it, or waste actions to be free. Hitting the invisibility. The invisibility rules clearly state that you can
same enemy with multiple nets in the same round almost cover something invisible in substances like flour to be
ensures the condition will remain for the entire able to see them (since the clinging substance doesn't
encounter; because no one wants to spend round after become invisible).
round trying to de-net themselves.
First, get a bag of flour, or crush up some chalk, and fill
Ghost Busting: A good investment for anyone who some cloth pouches with the flour or crushed chalk. Tie a
really hates incorporeal creatures is a +1 ghost touch string or piece of cord around the edges of the cloth to
net. Valued at 8,000 gp, it's not a terribly expensive create a small pouch filled with the appropriate powder.
tool if the entire party chips in to get it. Why is this tool Simply loosen the knot and throw it as a splash weapon,
so great? Well it has full effect on incorporeal and it should scatter clinging dust in a 5 ft. radius, foiling
creatures, who auto-fail on Strength checks to move invisibility.
away from you (allowing you to control how far they
move away from you), and since it counts as both This method is simple, effective, and cheap. It is based on
corporeal and incorporeal, you can prevent them from the rule that flour and similar environmental conditions
moving through objects while ensnared in your net. can allow you to make invisible creatures visible; but the
Entangled is also a terrible (if rare) condition for rules never specified how to do that. Merely that it could
incorporeal creatures, as they rely heavily on Dexterity be done. This method makes use of existing rules and
for both offense and defense (-2 to attacks and -4 Dex equipment to do so, using the rules for splash weapons.
means -4 to incorporeal touch attacks and -2 AC) and Since not everything written here is explicitly covered in
most thrive on improved mobility which is outright the rules (notably the delivery of the powdery substance),
denied in this case. you should check exact methods with your GM. I
recommend the adjudication that is presented in the
I'll try the 9 Iron: Golf-bagging is often a complaint by accompanying table “Powder Bombs”.
some of the casual gamers. Personally, I love golf-bagging.
I like having that extra weapon on hand for a particular A Pot of Honey, A Pot of Rain: Clay jugs are pretty heavy
occasion. Ever look at the Pathfinder iconics? Loaded with when filled, but are pretty useful. Their obvious use is for
seemingly random assortments of weapons, with obvious carrying large quantities of water or similar liquids
spares and backups. Golf bagging has lots of advantages. (ideally packed on burden beasts such as mules, horses, or
oxen), but can often be adapted for adventuring purposes.
Grab a cold iron, silver (or mithral), and maybe They can just as easily carry coins and the like, or you
adamantine weapon. Carrying them allows you to bypass could place food in them, fill them with black powder to
the DR of virtually anything. Definitely have an make a bomb (if your campaign has such fare), create
assortment of silver and cold iron arrows (they're cheap weapons or traps with them (fill them with spiders,
and easy enough to store/carry). It's cheaper to carry lots scorpions, snakes, or whatever), or even keep potted
of +2 weapons of different materials than it is to carry one plants in them (carrying around your own plants makes
or two +3 weapons, and it makes you less of a target vs the entangle spell useful in the most amusing places). At
sundering or shattering (because who bothers with that only 2 copper pieces, you can figure out what to do with
when you've got a backup weapon in easy reach?). them later. Flasks are 3 coppers with similar uses.

You can go a very long way with just different material
weapons and a greater magic weapon spell to keep your
hit and damage top notch. It's also easier to rely on special
materials for all the low CR enemies who require things
like silver or cold iron to hit (such as imps, quasits,
lycanthropes, or fey).
Keeping a few vipers in a state of sedation (via nonlethal
damage, sleep spells, or other means) can be a good
method of extracting lots of injury poison for the budding
assassin, alchemist, or other poison using character. Just
milk their glands for poison daily. Finding and keeping
vipers isn't usually very difficult for adventurers. In fact,
the clay pots can be useful storage devices in this case. If
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 4

someone has a viper familiar, you could just ask nicely for
venom. Premade Adventure Kits – General Purpose and Cooking
Some players have little interest in micro-managing every bit of
That's Good Food, I Guarantee: This isn't quite hardcore food and spices they're carrying, but the idea of carrying
adventuring gear, but I'm kind of a sucker for a bit of role- supplies for cooking on the go may still appeal to them. The
play. I generally like my characters to cook, and trail same can be said about all kinds of interesting items used on an
rations suck (sure they're filling but nuts, dried breads, adventure. Here are some pre-compiled kits for such players.
and jerky would get very old after a while). I always liked Their costs are calculated based on the core rulebook.
the idea of having a nice stewing fire, cooking the days Adventuring Kit: This kit includes basic adventuring
catch and enjoying the quiet peaceful aspect of the great equipment that might be carried on your person. The kit includes
the following items (and their quantity): backpack (1), bell (4),
journey that is adventuring; so let's talk about food.
bedroll (1), winter blanket (1), candle (10), chalk (10), fish hook
(10), flint and steel (1), bullseye lantern (1), small steel mirror
Trail rations are expensive. 5 silver pieces per day for 1 (1), pint of oil (1), signal whistle (1), soap (1), torch (2),
pound of food. That's like paying $50 bucks a day to avoid waterskin (1), whetstone (1). Cost: 22 gp, 2 cp; Weight: 20 lb
starving. Incidentally, Pathfinder and the 3.5 SRD also lack (½ weight if designed for small characters).
the item descriptions for this food source, so we really Adventuring Kit, Ultimate: This kit includes virtually
have no idea how long they last, or what's in them everything that you may need during your typical adventuring
(Pathfinder hints at what appears to be small pieces of career; and includes equipment you may not even realize you
meat or maybe dried orange slices, cheese, and bread; but need yet. Suitable for the most prepared (or paranoid) owner!
only through an art piece in the book). This kit includes 1 ox trained for war (knows the tricks attack,
down, stay, heel, work, and has been trained to fight unusual
creatures) wearing leather barding and saddlebags; as well as the
So my characters typically pack their own meals. A whole following equipment that is being carried by the ox: blanket,
loaf of bread is 2 coppers (1/2 lb.), 1/2 lb. hunk of cheese is 1 winter (large sized for ox) (1), block and tackle (1), crowbar (1),
silver, and a 1/2 lb. chunk of meat of my choice is 3 silver fishing net, 25 sq. ft. (1), grappling hook (1), jug, clay (10),
pieces (good god meat is expensive, isn't it?). I can get 1/2 ladder, 10 ft. (1), pick, miner's (1), pole, 10 ft. (1), ram, portable
a pound more food for less than the cost of a trail ration. (1), rope, hemp (50 ft.) (10), sack, empty (10), shovel (1), sledge
In fact, I could probably eat the whole week off a loaf of (1), tent (1), and torch (10). Cost: 154 gp, 5 sp, 5 cp; Carrying
bread, chunk of cheese, and meat. Buy an iron pot to Capacity: light load (600 lb.), medium load (1,200 lb.), heavy
round out your collection. You can also buy poor meals load (1,800 lb.), push/drag (9,000 lb.); Current Load: 391 lb.
(bread, baked turnips, onions, etc) in bulk and fill some Cooking Kit: This kit includes an iron cooking pot, a
jugs with stew. cooking pan, wooden roasting sticks, four wooden bowls, flint
and steel, a knife (dagger), and a mixture of spices (such as an
ounce of cinnamon, peppper, ginger, and salt). Everything you
In your classic 4-person adventuring party that includes 1 need to cook on the go. Cost: 2 gp, 3 sp; Weight: 10 lb.
cleric and 1 wizard, you're good to go on food now. The
cleric can both infinitely cast create water and purify food The DC to climb a knotted rope with something to brace
and drink, while the wizard brings prestidigitation to the against (such as a wall, cliff, etc) is DC 0. DC 5 with either
mix. The cleric can prevent the food from going bad or no wall or no knots, DC 10 if both. Most people can hit
spoiling indefinitely. The wizard can make the food taste those DCs taking 10 even with pretty bad check penalties.
like anything, and can turn the water to wine without the A guy or gal in plate mail can shimmy up such a rope
alcohol (he can change the taste and color). without even having ranks in Climb, while only taking 10.
You can even tie the rope to yourself to avoid falling if you
I realize my micromanagement as a player might be a bit are distracted.
extreme, but I have a subtle enjoyment of whipping the
iron pot off my mule or ox, throwing together a stew, Ropes and Chains Excite Me: Ropes are useful for way too
garlic bread, a few seasonings, and a fire. If I'm playing amany things (but that is the point of rope, right?). Hemp
wizard it's doubly great, since I can take 10 on a Craft rope is for adventurers on a budget, and its only real
(Meals) check and enjoy the subtle satisfaction that my drawback is it's very heavy for its length. At low levels, I
food rocks socks. ☻ prefer packing anywhere between 50 to 200 feet of this
stuff, and carrying it on a pack animal like an ox (its
Grappling Hook? Does Improved Grapple help?: The weight means nothing to ol' Samson the ox). Silk rope is
grappling hook is a surprisingly useful piece of equipment. more expensive but weighs a lot less, and is a bit stronger.
It has no obvious effects noted in its description, but Excellent stuff for characters who need to carry a bit on
instead explains that it is a AC 5 attack roll to chuck a hand themselves in the ol' handy haversack.
grappling hook at a suitable spot to anchor it (such as a
ledge, jutting rock, whatever). However, its real use is Chains are often overlooked. They're even heavier than
hidden in the Climb rules. When connected to a rope, you hemp rope and much more expensive (it costs 150 gp for
can turn impossible to climb areas into trivial endeavors. 50 feet of the stuff, and it weighs 10 lbs. for 50 ft. as well),
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 5

but it's good stuff if you really need the extra durability. A Note On Potions: Potions and oils have a bit of a stigma
Unlike ropes, chains have a hardness of 10, 5 Hp, and DC 26 among many of us gamers. All too often, potions are
break test. It makes it harder for enemies or natural associated with healing (it's their most common use in
environments to severe your life-line. I've had players computer RPGs); but you can go to almost any pen &
whose ropes were destroyed by the splash-damage of acid paper gaming forum and learn that healing is usually a
flasks (the dwarf cleric was climbing out of a burning pit, waste of actions and/or supplies. This association causes
and the party was pulling him up, but kobolds were across a lot of people to overlook the benefits of potions and
the pit, chucking acid flasks at the party. The 1 point of oils. The mental progression goes something like this: if
splash damage ate through the rope, and our dwarf cleric potions heal, and healing is inefficient, then potions must
tumbled back into the burning pit). be inefficient. This is an easy but incorrect assumption to
make.
Both ropes and chains are also a good method of setting
up makeshift traps. While I don't believe it's covered in In truth, potions and oils are inefficient at healing, but
the core rules, a pair of hiding characters between two that is only because the spells they carry are inefficient at
trees with either a rope or chain wrapped and covered by healing. There are many spells that are work great or even
some leaves or the like should almost certainly send a better as potions or oils; making them highly attractive to
rider or a charging horse to the ground. Not sure how players and NPCs alike as tools for adventuring.
individual GMs would rule it, but it seems to me like an
area (the length of the rope between two points) trip Hug Rangers & Paladins: The magic item creation rules
attempt with a huge bonus to CMB vs running or charging state that the market price of an item is based on the
creatures (easily +10 and maybe even +20). Good means to lowest caster level that a spell can be cast at. This causes
base a low-tech mechanical trap on as well, methinks. the market price for quite a few utility and healing spells
to be lower, because classes like Paladins and Rangers
Do you see what I see?: Bullseye lanterns are cool. The cast them as low level spells with an equally low caster
PRD/SRD doesn't adequately describe them, but they're level (a Paladin's caster level is equal to class level-3). This
lanterns with polished steel mirrors for sides, which can counts for all the usual items (oils, potions, and scrolls) as
be placed in an up or down position. Using these mirrors, well as other magic items as well. This is helpful for your
if one shutter is opened, then you get a concentrated average adventurer, who can't afford to spend 300 gp on a
beam of light that extends a in a 60 ft. cone of light, with potion that only heals 1d4 ability damage, but might be
another 60 ft. of dim light (double effective bright light for able to afford one for 50 gp
low-light vision creatures). Alternatively, all shutters can
be opened for it to provide light in a 20 ft. radius like a First Aid: While healing hit point damage is difficult and
normal torch or lantern. Have a 4th level continual flame inefficient with potions and scrolls; ability damage and
spell cast on a wick or candle and place it inside the some other ailments are more reasonable. The following
lantern (no longer is their line of effect for the continual are reasonable investments that are great for preparing
flame to be dispelled, hurray) to have an infinite duration for adventures:
deeper darkness piercing flashlight of epic proportions! • scroll of delay poison (CL 1st, 25 gp)
It's not Baby-Oil (unless you're a sick bastard): Lamp oil is • scroll of lesser restoration (CL 1st, 25 gp)
fairly cheap, and can be used for a variety of purposes. • potion of delay poison (CL 1st, 50 gp)
The most obvious would of course be setting things on • potion of lesser restoration (CL 1st, 50 gp)
fire. A single flask can fill a 5 ft. square with oil and burns
for two rounds. Drop a few of these in spaces you don't Delay poison makes you immune to poison for 1 hour, but
want swarms moving through and have your party's does not remove any effects the poison already applied
wizard use spark, prestidigitation, or ray of fire to ignore (such as ability damage), while lesser restoration can
it. It burns for 2 rounds. Only the worst of meta-gaming restore 1d4 points of ability damage and cures Fatigue.
GMs would ever suggest that a tiny swarm (such as Both are good tools to keep around in case you end up in a
beetles, spiders, and so forth) would ever cross a burning spider infested forest, or some other situation where you
space to attack the party; and most animals have a natural might end up poisoned, fatigued, or ability damaged. The
aversion to fire. It's cheap enough to carry in large scrolls are a good bet with any divine caster in the party.
quantities (like clay jugs), and could be used to set traps,
or maybe even something really bizarre like fuel your We Don't Need Magic Swords: Magic weapons are
lamps. expensive. The cheapest of them are 2,300 gp. That's a lot
of coin to be dropping on what is only a +1 damage over
Magic Items – Oils, Potions, Scrolls, and any masterwork weapon. Sometimes you need that little
Wands +1 to overcome some damage reduction, or hit incorporeal
foes. Worry no more. Just go on using your masterwork
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 6
weapon, and carry an oil of magic weapon with you for
the odd emergency. There are several excellent methods
to get potent weapons on the cheap as consumables. Here
are a few:
• Oil of magic weapon (CL 1st, 50 gp)
• Oil of bless weapon (CL 1st, 50 gp)
• Oil of shillelagh (CL 1st, 50 gp)
• Oil of magic fang (CL 1st, 50 gp)
• Oil of abundant ammunition (CL 1st, 50 gp)
Spells like magic weapon, magic fang, and shillelagh turn
weapons into +1 weapons for 10 rounds, allowing you to
damage incorporeal creatures and pierce armor class.
Shillelagh is a personal favorite because it makes a club or
staff deal 2d6 damage in addition to being a +1 weapon.
Bless weapon is ideal against any an all evil creatures, as it
makes the weapon hit as both a +1 weapon, a good-aligned
weapon, and causes the weapon to auto-confirm critical
hits against evil creatures. Abundant ammunition doesn't
actually enhance a weapon, but instead can be applied to
a quiver or similar; allowing you reuse certain special
ammunition, such as adamantine, cold iron, or silver
arrows.
One of the major benefits of carrying a few oils of these
spells as opposed to stocking up on actual magic weapons
is the fact you can choose what to apply them to. You may
find that you need a +1 longbow to shoot a flying wizard
under the effects of a protection from arrows spell; or you
may realize that you need a +1 longsword to overcome the
damage reduction of something with DR/magic and
slashing; and so forth. You can also apply the magic
weapon or abundant ammunition to a quiver of arrows
and have multiple adjacent archers draw arrows from the
same quiver.
Contains Stimulants: Okay, we all know abusing steroids is
bad; but potions and oils are a great alternative to getting
beefy really, really fast. Potions or oils can be applied to a
willing or unattended target by someone other that the
the target of the potion or oil. In other words, you can
turn your party barbarian into a lubed up engine of super
destruction in short order. Have everyone apply an oil to
the target during the same round. Here's an example of
how this simple but effective tactic works.
We have a 5th level party that consists of a barbarian,
cleric, paladin, ranger, and wizard. They are ambushed by
a pair of wyverns with dangerous attacks and poison tails.
During the first round of a tough combat, the wizard casts
haste on the whole party. Meanwhile, the cleric, ranger,
and paladin apply an oil of enlarge person, oil of delay
poison, and oil of grease on the barbarian, resulting in the
barbarian becoming immune to poison, large size (with
increased reach), and granting him a +10 bonus against the
wyverns' grab attempts to start grappling with him.
The barbarian immediately rushes into the wyverns to
lock them into melee, dealing far more damage, and safe
knowing that he is immune to their poison, or them
grabbing him and flying off with him.
In the above example, the party used 3 1st level oils, valued
at 150 gp for the whole lot. A very fair expenditure to fight
off a pair of wyverns, and the barbarian got very powerful
very quickly. Potions and oils can allow classes who can't
usually buff allies to provide some quick boosts. If their
party was fighting demons, the barbarian may have been
applying oils on the Paladin instead, since the Paladin has
spells and abilities for fighting evil demons.
Alternatively, everyone's first action in a combat may be
to drink a potion before enemies get on top of them. If you
are facing monsters like succubi or vampires, you might
want to have your entire party gulp down a potion or oil
of protection from evil to ward against mind control; or at
least have a character with a good will-save (like the
Paladin) apply an oil to someone without a good will save
(like the Barbarian) to protect against such attacks.
Q & A: Why Do You Like Potions so Much?
I've noticed that a lot of players and GMs alike tend to forget
about consumables like potions, oils, and scrolls; for both the
PCs and NPCs. A lot of people look at consumables as wastes,
since you use them then they're gone. So a friend of mine, after
seeing good use of consumables in practice during one of my
games, asked where I learned to use potions so deviously.
The truth is that I learned it from one of my favorite computer
games, Baldur's Gate by Bioware/Black Isle, which came out
around 1998. The game was set in the Forgotten Realms, and
used the 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons system for its rules.
Without giving anything important away (you must play this
game), the first game is a low level adventure that takes you
from 1st to about 9th level or so, counting the expansion pack.
There is a lot of adventuring in rural settings, and you see lots of
modest sized villages and towns. In general, the first seems like
a low-magic game done right (there's not a whole lot of casters,
and you enjoy your +2 longsword “Varscona” a lot).
The games are very tactical. While most NPCs typically had
mundane weapons and armor (even for fairly high level ones),
they tended to kick my butt ferociously. After getting trashed by
the bad guys quite a bit, I realized it was because they were
using potions; which were often available in shops & temples.
I started using potions and such more often (you find lots of
them in the game). Nothing quenches the thirst for battle like a
potion of cloud giant's strength or cuts like an oil of speed.
Wave those Wands: Wands are kind of like bulk-purchase
scrolls, but they're easier to use. One of the best things
about wands is that they don't care about the level of their
caster, and you can use them freely if the spell in them is
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 7

on your class spell list. This makes wands, both purchased So why is this important? Because the folks who wrote the
and crafted excellent resources for your party. It's also a Summoner ignored the ripple effects. Core casters such as
big plus for classes like Paladins and Rangers, who can use clerics, druids, sorcerers, and wizards can now legally buy
a variety of useful wands without trouble, just as easily as wands and scrolls of these spells and use them with no
your party's clerics and druids. trouble, craft some of their own items at a new lower
caster and spell level to save in cost, and in some cases
You GP for your HP: Many experts on D&D have long since scribe scrolls into their spell books for less money.
determined that for pure gold to hit point ratio, a wand of
cure light wounds cannot be beat. At 750 gp for a brand Here's an example: Summoners get haste as a 2nd level
new 50 charge caster level 1 wand, it heals an average of 5 spell, at 4th caster level. A whole spell level and caster
hp per chage, or 250 hp worth of healing. That's about 3 gp level before the original sorcerer/wizard casters do. Now,
per hit point, which beats out potions and scrolls handily. a CL 4th wand of haste is legal, and costs only 6,000 gp, as
opposed to the CL 5th wand of haste that cost 11,250 gp
Best yet, half of the classes in the core rulebook that can originally. Several items are now incorrectly priced in the
use one of these wands without fail. Bards, Clerics, Druids, core rulebooks (such as boots of speed, which were 12,000
Paladins, and Rangers, can all use a wand of cure light gp, but now should cost only 8,000 gp). Likewise, you can
wounds; leaving only Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Sorcerer, now get summon monster V (traditionally a 5th level spell)
and Wizard requiring Use Magic Device checks. into a wand (limited up to 4th level spells), along with any
other spell listed in the 4th level summoner spells above.
If you have a caster with Craft Wand, you can craft these
for half price, setting the cost of healing to 1.5 Hp healed. Since this is advantageous to those on a budget or looking
to stretch the distance of their last gold piece, I'm listing
Thank the Summoners: Summoners have discounted a ton the costs for these spells as scrolls, wands, and potions,
of spells for other casters who share the same spells with since they have some slightly unusual caster levels.
them. Magic item prices are set on the lowest caster level Potions/Oils: 2nd level (400 gp), 3rd level (1,050 gp)
that a spell can be cast at. When creating magic items, you Scrolls: 2nd level (35o gp), 3rd (525 gp), 4th (1,000 gp), 5th
can intentionally craft items at a lower caster level, as (1,650 gp), 6th (2,400 gp)
long as it is at the minimum caster level that the spell can Wands: 2nd level (6,000 gp), 3rd level (15,750 gp), 4th level
be cast. Because summoners were given spells at lower (30,000 gp)
levels than they should have been, we now have access to
the following spells at much cheaper costs when making Q & A: What Do You Think About Summoner Spells?
or buying magic items (original level, original caster
level): Getting spells earlier and cheaper than in core leaves a bad taste
2nd Level (CL 4th): haste (3rd, 5th), phantom steed (3rd, 5th), in the mouths of some gamers. Some would consider the
slow (3rd, 5th), and wind wall (3rd, 5th). summoner's effect on magic items a game abuse; while some
would see it as just another side effect of an evolving game.
3 Level (CL 7 ): black tentacles (4 , 7 ), charm monster
rd th th th

(4 , 7 ), dimension door (4 , 7 ), dimensional anchor (4 ,

th th th th th
Personally, I don't really like it, but included it for completion's
7th), fire shield (4th, 7th), minor creation (4th, 7th), stoneskin sake. I've checked out the rules for magic item creation, and
(4th, 7th), summon monster IV (4th, 7th),wall of fire (4th, 7th), whether I like it or not, that's the way it is. The summoner's silly
and wall of ice (4 , 7 ).
th th
spell list creates odd ripple effects in the rest of the system.
4th Level (CL 10th): baleful polymorph (5th, 9th), contact Some magic items are no longer correctly priced, some magic
other plane (5th, 9th), insect plague (5th, 9th), mage's faithful items can now be crafted more cheaply, and so on and so forth.
hound (5th, 9th), magic jar (5th, 9th), major creation (5th, 9th),
overland flight (5th, 9th), lesser planar binding (5th, 9th), While it's not something I'm particularly fond of, I haven't
summon monster V (5 , 9 ), teleport (5 , 9 ), and wall of
th th th th banned the summoner or the changes from my games; but I have
considered altering the summoner's spell progression to be a
stone (5th, 9th).
proper full progression. It's stupid to give a class a secondary
5 Level (CL 13 ): banishment (6 , 11 ), creeping doom (7 ,
th th th th th
spell progression if you're just going to load them down with
13 ), greater dispel magic (6 , 11 ), ethereal jaunt (6 , 11 ),
th th th th th
higher level spells at the usual caster levels. What's the point of
planar binding (6th, 11th), simulacrum (7th, 13th), spell turning giving the class 2nd tier casting if you're not giving them 2nd tier
(7th, 13th), summon monster VII (7th, 13th), greater teleport spell access as well? Most of their spells (especially the good
(7th, 13th), and wall of iron (6th, 11th). ones) don't allow saving throws, making the level of the spell
6th Level (CL 16th): binding (8th, 15th), dimensional lock (8th, itself meaningless as far as balance is concerned.
15th), discern location (8th, 15th), dominate monster (9th,
17th), incendiary cloud (8th, 15th), maze (8th, 15th), greater For now, I would just caution any designer, be they homebrewer
planar binding (8th, 15th), protection from spells (8th, 15th), or professional writer, against pulling this stunt again. Be wary
of what you're doing before you do it. Don't make a class like
summon monster VIII (8 , 15 ), sympathy (8 , 15 ), and
th th th th
this again. Either give them bard casting or wizard casting. Don't
teleportation circle (9 , 17 ).
th th
force wizard casting into a bard's spell slots. It's just stupid.
 Ashiel's Guide to Adventure – Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies – Version 0.0.01 – Page 8

We Still have Paladins and Rangers: At least Paladin and

Ranger spells aren't as crazy as summoner spells, but we
can still thank them for their subtle spell list. The spells
delay poison, lesser restoration, and resist energy are all
great spells to have in a wand, and all three cost 750 gp for
50 charges.

Paladins also give a unique gift to the budding adventurer.

Wands of holy sword. These wands are costly, at 30,000
gp for 50 charges, but they turn any melee weapon into a
+5 holy weapon that produces a magic circle against evil
for 13 rounds. A fair purchase for a lower level Paladin, or
for anyone with significant investment in the Use Magic
Device skill.

For rangers, a scroll (750 gp) or wand (22,500 gp) of

instant enemy can turn a battle really fast, since it allows
you to declare any enemy your favored enemy. It's almost
like declaring a smite evil, but for rangers.

It's Not That Heavy: A worthy mention for potions, scrolls,

and wands is the spell ant haul, introduced in the
Advanced Player's Guide. The spell triples the target's
carrying capacity, and is absolutely disgusting when
applied to an ox or similar beast of burden (your typical
ox with ant haul can carry 1,800 lbs as a light load, 3,600
lbs as a medium load, 5,400 lbs as a heavy load, and can
push or drag up to 27,000 lbs)!